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  • Coronavirus: 80 containment zones declared in Kashmir

    The total number of positive cases in the union territory has risen to 314.

    PTI

    Restrictions on the movement of people in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus completed one month on Friday, even as the number of red zone areas in the valley has risen to 80, officials said.

    They said the security forces have sealed off main roads in most places in the valley and erected barriers at several other places to check the unwanted movement of the people and to enforce the lock down.

    Only persons with valid passes were allowed to move, they added.

    The declared containment or red zones across the valley have been sealed to ensure strict adherence to the standard operating procedure.

    The officials said there were 80 red zones in the Kashmir valley and all such areas would remain as red zones up to 42 days, unless no new positive case of COVID-19 is detected.

    If any new case is detected in those areas, then from that date, the area will again remain a red zone for another 42 days, they added.

    They said those areas have been sealed off and strict restrictions would were being implemented there.

    The officials said rapid anti-body testing would be initiated in red zones very soon and Jammu and Kashmir will be among the few states in the country to do that.

    Meanwhile, the markets across the valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and groceries allowed to open, the officials said.

    Educational institutions across Kashmir are closed, while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants were shut down more than a week before the nationwide lock down announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    While the Prime Minister announced the country-wide lock down on the evening of March 24, the union territory administration here had on March 22 announced a lock down across Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

    The administration said the essential services including healthcare personnel have been exempted from the restrictions.

    Restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the valley on March 19 to contain the spread of the virus infection. The measures were taken after the detection of the first positive case of coronavirus in the valley.

    The total number of positive cases in the union territory has risen to 314. Four patients have died in Jammu and Kashmir and 36 have recovered.

    More than 58,000 people have been kept under surveillance including those who are either in government established quarantine facilities or in home isolation.

    Till date 58,076 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance which include 7463 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 265 in hospital quarantine, 272 in hospital isolation and 29366 under home surveillance. Besides, 20706 persons have completed their surveillance period, the officials said.

  • Jammu and Kashmir policemen quarantined after constable, SI’s son test positive

    PTI

    Scores of policemen were quarantined in Kashmir on Thursday, after a policeman and the son of a sub-inspector tested positive for the novel coronavirus in central and north Kashmir. Meanwhile, 14 new positive cases pushed up the total number of cases in J&K to 314.

    An official said the constable, posted with the India Reserve Police (IRP) 3rd Battalion at Bemina, Srinagar, had tested positive. Preliminary reports suggest that the policeman, who is from Budgam’s Rathsuna, may have contracted the virus after coming in contact with a member of the Tablighi Jamaat in a Srinagar mosque.

    “The contact tracing has been started,” said an official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Many policemen will be quarantined,” the official added.

    Several policemen were quarantined in north Kashmir’s Kupwara after the son of a sub-inspector tested positive on Wednesday.

    “The family has been quarantined in sub-district hospital Kupwara,” an official said. “The sample of the sub-inspector has already been sent for a test. As a precautionary measure, the contacts of the sub-inspector in the police have been advised to stay in isolation,” the official added.

    Meanwhile, the J&K government spokesman said the total number of COVID-19 cases had touched 314.

    “Fourteen new positive cases of coronavirus, all from Kashmir division, were reported on Thursday,” the spokesman said.

    Meanwhile, two more COVID-19 patients recovered and were discharged from a Srinagar hospital.

    Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang K. Pole, said J&K would be among the few States/Union Territories to initiate rapid antibody testing in the red zones soon.

    The Divisional Commissioner said rapid antibody testing would be conducted on the spot in red zone areas. “The test will give results instantly whether the person is exposed to the coronavirus or not,” he said.

    He said all 80 red zones identified in the Kashmir division “would remain red zones up to 42 days”. “Unless, no new positive case of COVID-19 is detected. If any new case is detected in these areas, then from that date the area will again remain a red zone for another 42 days,” he said.

    He said people would be asked to download the Arogya Setu app on their mobile phones for information, education and communication purposes.

  • J&K govt clarifies on testing kits

    There is no interruption in testing process because of any shortage: GMC Principal

    Peerzada Ashiq

    The Jammu and Kashmir government clarified on Thursday that the Kashmir Valley is not facing any dearth of testing kits.

    “There is no truth that a testing kit consignment was diverted to Jammu. It was first delivered in Jammu and the next day it was received in Srinagar. There was no interruption in the testing process because of any shortage,” said Dr. Samia Rashid, Principal of the Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar.

    The government clarification came after The Hindu published a report on a consignment of 5,000 testing kits being diverted to Jammu. They were shifted to Srinagar only after the intervention of senior officials in the Union Territory.

    Ms. Rashid said a third testing centre was being established at the Jhelum Valley Medical College, Bemina. Testing centres are there now at GMC, Srinagar, and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences hospital.

    A government spokesman said doctors at the SKIMS hospital confirmed that it was not facing any shortage of test kits and had ramped up the number to 1000 tests a day. However, the hospital has not clarified as how many fresh samples from the Directorate of Health, Kashmir, were received on Wednesday, due to the delay in testing kits arrival.

    On the role of the Dr. Jitender Mehta, Divisional Officer, National Health Mission, the spokesman said the former was actively involved in COVID-19 “mitigation and management”. “Dr. Mehta had no role in the procurement process,” the spokesman added.

    Dr. Samir Mattoo, Director of Health Services, Kashmir, said his department was carrying out sample collection across the Valley aggressively.

    Several civil society groups and traders’ bodies have called for transparency in the mitigation plan pursued by the government to manage the COVID-19 crisis.

    “We demand a clarification from the government. There should be a fast-track inquiry and the Lt. Governor should punish the culprits, so that it serves as a deterrent to other officers,” said Farooq Kuthoo, spokesman of the J&K RTI Movement.

    With inputs from The Hindu Web Desk

  • Darbar Move: A burden on J&K exchequer

    Estates department spends Rs 127 crore for providing accommodation to Move employees in past 2 years

    Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government has spent Rs 127 crore for providing accommodation to Darbar Move employees in the past two years.

    According to an affidavit filed by the Estates department in High Court, Rs 127 crore were utilized for providing accommodation to Dubar Move employees in Srinagar and Jammu during  2018-19 and 2019-20.

    As per the affidavit, a copy of which lies with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), it reveals that Rs 41.32 and Rs 23.57 crore were spent for providing accommodation to employees in Srinagar and Jammu, respectively, during 2018-19. In 2019-20, Rs 41.61 crore utilized for providing accommodation to the employees in Srinagar and Rs 20.53 crore in Jammu.

    The expenditure incurred by the Estates departments includes hiring of private hotels, private houses and JKTDC huts, transportation charges, maintenance charges and hiring of seasonal laborers.

    The department has revealed that 307 private houses were hired in Srinagar and 151 in Jammu during 2018-19. In 2019-20, 80 private houses were hired in Srinagar and 69 in Jammu. These private houses are apart from private hotels and JKTDC huts hired by the Estates department for providing accommodation to the Move employees.

    These details were submitted by the department after High Court had sought details of expenditure spent on providing accommodation to Move employees. The Court is hearing pleas seeking postponement of Darbar Move due to outbreak of deadly covid in Jammu and Kashmir.

    As per the 148–year-old practice of Darbar Move, the civil secretariat and all other important offices of J&K would function from May to October in Srinagar. These offices would function in Jammu from November to April.

    The practice of Darbar Move was started by Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to “escape the extreme weather of Kashmir in winter and to give a fillip to economy of Jammu.” – (KNO)

  • BJP distributes food items in Tral

    Srinagar: Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Kashmir Unit on Thursday distributed food and essential items among local in far flung area of tral in south Kashmir

    BJP chief spokesman Altaf Thakur distributed essential food items among the people hit by lockdown in far flung area of Tral.

  • ED files money laundering case against Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi

    A criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been filed, a senior official said

    PTI

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, trusts liked to the Jamaat and others, officials said on Thursday.

    They said an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) has been filed by the agency based on a Delhi Police FIR.

    A criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been filed, a senior official said.

    The Delhi Police’s crime branch had, on March 31, lodged an FIR against seven people, including the cleric, on a complaint by Station House Officer of Nizamuddin police station for holding a congregation of Tablighi Jamaat followers in alleged violation of the orders against large gatherings to contain the spread of coronavirus.

  • Coronavirus | Plea in SC seeks free unlimited calls, data usage facilities during COVID-19 lockdown

    It has also sought a direction to the Health Ministry to take appropriate steps to deal with psychological pressure mounting on individuals due to the lockdown

    PTI

    A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to ensure that free unlimited calling, data usage and DTH facilities are provided to subscribers to ease “psychological stress” during the lockdown till May 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    It has also sought a direction to the Health Ministry to take appropriate steps to deal with psychological pressure mounting on individuals due to the lockdown or being kept in quarantine.

    The plea sought directions to the government and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to invoke relevant terms of agreement of licenses granted to DTH service providers and ask them to provide completely free and unlimited viewing facility of their channels and contents during the lockdown period.

    It said they also be directed to exercise powers under appropriate provisions of law so that content of video streaming websites could be provided free of cost during lockdown.

    The petition, filed by advocate Manohar Pratap, has said that social interactions by way of talking over phone, video calling and other modes of digital entertainment like watching TV channels on DTH platforms or contents on video streaming websites could be helpful in “lowering the psychological stress” caused by confinement during the lockdown.

    It claimed that the Centre and State governments have taken various measures to help the citizens during lockdown by providing food and shelter and other means for survival but no steps have been taken to answer the psychological pressure which is mounting day by day on the citizens.

    “Mental and psychological health are as important as physical health and less has been done in this regard by the government during lockdown. Most of the persons who got stranded away from their family and friends are living in deep psychological stress and there has been even two-three instances of suicides due to fear of isolation during treatment of coronavirus disease,” the plea said.

    The petitioner has further said that unlimited free audio and video communication means would allow the stranded persons, who are away from their family, to contact them and it would help in dealing with present situation.

    It said that free and unlimited access to internet and satellite TV channels would offer better and wide mode of entertainment to individuals who are confined in home or in quarantine facilities.

  • Barbers can be silent carriers of Covid-19, warn medical experts

    Srinagar: The medical experts in Jammu and Kashmir have advised people not to rush to barber shops and beauty parlours as they can be silent carriers of Covid-19 pandemic.

    Talking exclusively to Kashmir News Observer (KNO), renowned flu expert in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Nisar Ul Hassan said that it was totally unsafe to visit or come in close contact with a barber as it increases the risk of getting infected.

    “If people move out it defeats the purpose what we are trying to achieve by way of lockdown, if anyone moves out the very purpose to stop the spread and breaking the chain will be no more effective”, he said.

    Dr Nasir said that at this time we are supposed to maintain social distancing and getting in close contact with someone defeats the purpose of staying at home. “If the barber moves from place to place it may increase the risk of contract this contagious disease. It will engulf a large population silently,” he said.

    He cited the example of a pizza delivery boy who was tested positive in Delhi yesterday, following which around 70 families had to be quarantined. “Similarly, if the barber moves from one place to another he can also act as a silent carrier and engulf a huge population.”

    “We don’t to make our hair and look beautiful in these testing times. This can be done later when we are out of this pandemic. People need to follow the guidelines for their own good and for the good of society at large,” he said.

    He also said that people should adhere to this lockdown and this is the least people can do these days since staying home and maintaining social distance is the only way to fight this contagious disease—(KNO)

  • No Truth in the reports that Srinagar Covid supplies have been shifted to Jammu: Dr. Sehrish Asgar

    Director Information Dr. Sehrish Asgar Issued statement Says there’s no Truth in the reports that Srinagar Covid supplies have been shifted to Jammu

  • 25 test negative for COVID-19 in Budgam

    Srinagar: Amid a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in Kashmir, 25 persons have tested negative for the disease in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

    “God is kind to us. Twenty five fresh samples taken are negative for Coronavirus, ” Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Tariq Hussain Ganai wrote on twitter on Thursday.

    Ganai urged people of the district to confine themselves inside their houses in order to break the transmission chain of the virus.

    Earlier in the day, a cop reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 in the central Kashmir district.